ALLAN THE MAN

De La Salle University superstar Jeron Teng admitted it was disgusting seeing the video replay of the prank FEU Tamaraws star guard Terrence Romeo pulled off on Wednesday afternoon.

A video now making the rounds of social networking sites showed Romeo sneaking up from behind Teng, wetting his hand with sweat from his neck and jersey, then rubbing it into Teng's hands as the Archers sophomore prepared to take free throws late in a 71-68 victory over the Tamaraws.

HIS closest pursuers for the season MVP award are falling by the wayside one by one, but Petron star forward Arwind Santos would rather not dwell on winning the coveted individual trophy and instead focus on guiding the Boosters to a championship in the PBA Governors Cup.

Bagging the MVP award would be a blessing, Santos acknowledged, although at the moment his attention is on Petron’s semifinal series against defending champion Rain or Shine that starts on Monday.

The Gilas Pilipinas youth team opened its campaign in the Fiba-Asia Under-16 Championship on a bright note by turning back a tall Kazakhstan squad, 90-88, on Thursday night in Tehran, Iran.

Michael Dela Cruz and Richard Escoto each had 19 points while Andres Desiderio added 10 points for the nationals, who survived Leonid Voronushkin's hot shooting and the big height advantage of the Kazakhs to pull off the win.

“It was a tough game but at least we won it. We’re proud of our boys,” said MVP Sports Foundation head Al Panlilio, who accompanied the team to Iran. “Atleast we were able to shake off some jitters along the way.”

A busy summer of hoops has not changed the top three in the FIBA Ranking Men, but there is plenty of movement further afield.

As they did in 2012, the USA, Spain and Argentina still rank first, second and third respectively, following the conclusion of the 2013 season of men's continental championships.

The Philippines posted a clean slate in Day One of the Fiba 3x3 U18 World Championship by beating three opponents on Thursday in Jakarta.

The team of Thirdy Ravena of Ateneo, Kobe Paras of La Salle Greenhills, Paolo Rivero of Ateneo, and Arvie Tolentino of San Beda defeated Chinese Taipei (13-5), Guatemala (18-9), and Andorra (15-11) to remain undefeated in Pool B.

LA Tenorio plunged straight into action for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Governors’ Cup without taking a break after helping Gilas Pilipinas win a silver medal in the FIBA Asia Championship.

With the Gin Kings’ campaign coming to an end, Tenorio is finally getting a well-deserved break.

Despite Ginebra’s early exit, the cerebral point guard remains one of the top contenders for the season’s Most Valuable Player award. An automatic nominee after winning Best Player of the Conference in the Commissioner’s Cup, he has stepped up his game in this tournament, playing a string of stellar games that helped boost his case.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers are still uncertain when Kobe Bryant will be on the court this season, general manager Mitch Kupchak isn't pushing for an answer.

The Lakers have plenty of work to keep them occupied in training camp until Bryant figures out when he'll be ready to join them.